The present invention relates generally to a method, apparatus, and system to allow a passenger in a moving vehicle to read text or view an image while reducing or preventing motion sickness.
Motion sickness relates to the sense of balance, equilibrium and spatial orientation. The sense of balance is controlled and maintained by an intricate interaction of multiple parts of the human body, specifically, the inner ears (also called the labyrinth), the eyes, skin pressure receptors, muscle and joint sensory receptors, and the central nervous system.
The inner ears monitor motion, such as turning and tilting. The eyes monitor body orientation in space (i.e. upside down, right side up, etc.) and also directions of motion. The skin pressure receptors, such as those in the joints and spine, determine what part of the body is down and touching the ground or other surfaces. The muscle and joint sensory receptors determine which parts of the body are moving. The central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord), processes all of the information from the four other systems to determine the spatial orientation and motion of the body.
People may get motion sickness when their brains receive conflicting messages. Different people have various degrees of tolerance for these conflicting messages.
A passenger inside a ship at sea may see around him just four walls that appear to be stationary, but his body will still feel the motion of the ship. These conflicting signals can lead to motion sickness. A greater rocking motion of the ship will increase the disparity between what the passenger feels and what he sees, and so ships in heavy storms often have many passengers suffering from motion sickness.
An effective way for a person to reduce the likelihood of motion sickness is to look at a stationary point of reference. Ship passengers are commonly advised to get out on the deck and look at a fixed object on land or, if the ship is far out at sea, at the horizon. Thus, as the ship rocks, they can see their own motion relative to a fixed point of reference. If this perceived motion matches the motion they feel, the passengers will avoid motion sickness.
Likewise, a passenger in an automobile can reduce the likelihood of motion sickness by looking out a window at stationary points of reference—buildings, trees, signs, et al. Since the natural tendency for passengers is to look forward, passengers riding in the front seat spend a lot of time looking out the windshield, while rear seat passengers spend much of the time looking at the back of the seat in front of them. Because of this, passengers in the rear seat of an automobile are more likely to suffer from motion sickness than front-seat passengers.
However, this changes when a passenger attempts to read. Many people who have no general problem with motion sickness report that they cannot read in a moving vehicle without getting motion sick, even when they sit in the front seat. It has been suggested that this is because, when a passenger reads, he or she must focus attention on the reading material, and during this time, the passenger will have limited sight of the external environment. A passenger who reads a book, in any seat, gives up his outside view in order to focus on the words on the page, and thus increases the risk that he will get motion sickness.
This same problem may occur for passengers who attempt to watch a movie, use a computer, play a game, write, draw, or engage in any other activity that requires focused attention for extended periods.
The symptoms of motion sickness can include a general feeling of being unwell (malaise), nausea and vomiting, or both, headaches, cold sweating and a pale appearance. Symptoms may alleviate when the motion stops; however, it has been found that for some people it can take a significant period of time for symptoms to subside.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,692,428 to Kania discloses an apparatus having a sensor that detects a motion of an object and a sensory converter which converts the detected motion to corresponding sensory signals, which can be audio, white noise or video. The sensory signals are designed to alleviate motion sickness by using varying audio frequencies and/or colors displayed to the user selected in proportion to the determined motion. In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 6,497,649 to Parker, et al., discloses displaying an independent visual background via a head-mounted display with a visual reference corresponding to the perceptions of a person's vestibular system.
Another attempt to prevent motion sickness is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,275,998 to Tromble which shows a vision occluding eye shield which completely blocks the peripheral vision of the wearer to the discernment of motion and which blocks most or all of the superior field of vision of the wearer. When worn by a passenger, the device blocks perception of objects passing through the peripheral field of vision in the side windows and through the front window, while allowing the wearer to focus on tasks or objects within the vehicle by looking through the unoccluded portion.
There have also been many attempts to treat motion sickness medically, with pharmaceutical solutions and other medicinal treatments. Some preventative medications can be purchased without a prescription (e.g., Dramamine®, Bonine®, Marezine®). Stronger medicines such as tranquilizers and nervous system depressants usually require a prescription. The downside of using any of these medications includes cost, inconvenience, and potential side effects.
Other medical solutions involve the use of magnetic or metallic bracelets and/or jewelry. Some jewelry is worn on pressure points in an attempt to alleviate motion sickness. It has been found however, that such devices have limited success in preventing motion sickness. As such there exists a need for an effective apparatus, system and method for preventing motion sickness without using medications or medical devices.
The afore-mentioned problems, drawbacks, and disadvantages, in addition to others, are alleviated by the present invention disclosed herein where an object thereof is to provide a non-intrusive, non-medicinal, safe and effective system, method and apparatus for preventing motion sickness while reading text or viewing an image.